What hair product to use?

I saw Justin Timberlake's new hair style while watching the Grammy's and my GF said I should do something similar to him.

I understand he has professionals who does his hair, but, what product are they using to make his hair look natural and not dark/gelly looking? I've tried paste (which wont hold my hair well at all), gel, mouse, etc...

i could never understand how actors/models make their hair look so perfect and i've tried quite a bit.

i do my hair like justin's in that pic when it grows out a bit before i get another haircut, is it movie quality? i think not but my friends always say my hair looks great.

what i do is comb my hair into place when its wet out of the shower, i try to let it sit like that for a bit. then ill comb and dry it at the same time. when my hair is completely dry i use american crew fiber and try to give it some texture/hold. this usually works well. sometimes if i want better hold i will put the product in my hair when it is wet and then dry it out, then put more in when its dry, but that usually takes longer, and depending on the product doesn't always work.

avoid gel or anything with a "high shine" those products generally give u a wet look like gel.

I do something very similar to perkynipman. Once out of the shower I comb it into the general shape / style I want and let it dry while I shave. Once done with shaving I use Aveda styling clay to truly shape my hair into the style I want. The thing I like about the clay is that when it dries in my hair it leaves it with a matte finish and I don't get the hard gel look. To me it has a very natural look, however holds very well so it doesn't lose its shape during the day. I have tried multiple pomades that gave me similar results, however left my hair shiny and made the use of product too obvious in my opinion.

His hair looks blow dried back. Your hair looks like product was used while the hair was still damp... His looks like it was added once it was dried. I'd say try towel drying, put your hair into the general shape, finish getting ready, and then add some product once it's mostly dry. Consider finishing your hair with your fingers for a more natural look.

Check out this YouTube video from my buddy @andrewdoeshair http://youtu.be/jf2ucbDEeog
Follow him on Instagram and check out his YouTube Chanel. He talks about how to style this and which product to use.

Layrite provides a shiny hold, and is a heavy product which will glue the hair into place. Justin's hair is soft, and is not glued into place. Sorry I have to use my first post to disagree with someone.

first, Justin has had a Brazilian Blowout service done, which smooths out frizzy, curly hair. If you have frizzy or curly hair, go get this done. Google it for more info.

Wet hair is neutral, it goes wherever you put it, but only until you then put it somewhere else. Comb it back, it stays back, but only until you then comb it sideways, and then it stays sideways until you comb it front ways. Just like when your car is in neutral, it goes wherever any outside forces want it to go. When your hair dries naturally, it will generally keep the shape it has dried into (like when a guy slicks his hair back and wears a hair net to bed- see George Clooney in Oh Brother Where Art Thou). But the most powerful factor in styling your hair is HEAT. Applying heat to your hair will make it pliable, and then it goes from neutral to DRIVE. If you heat your hair with a blow dryer, and brush it upward, it will stand up, even after you mash it down with your hand, it'll bounce back up. If you heat it with a bow dryer and brush it back, it will stay back. If you heat wavy hair with a blow dryer, and you pull it tight and straight with a boar bristle brush, it will stay straight. This is how you STYLE your hair. Hair products are made to put a finish on your hair. NOT to hold your hair up. Applying product to damp hair or air dried hair will hardly give you ay more hold or control over what your hair already would have done on it's own (although if you just have good hair, this can work fine).

For a dry look, you'll want to use Matrix Beach Clay, or Redken Rough Paste. Spread it very sparingly on your fingertips, AFTER your clean dry hair is standing on it's own, from your amazing blow dry work, and then work it into the roots of your hair, before pulling it through to the ends. Blow dry your hair bigger than you want it, because the product will tone it down, but this kind of product can NOT make it bigger. And by applying it to the root first, it enforces the structure of your hairstyle, and prevents the ends of your hair from being weighed down by the product.

A product like layrite is okay if you want that wet look. Which is fine, it's kind of popular right now. But it's not what the OP is looking for. Also, I suggest Imperial barber products classic pomade, which is a similar product, marketed with more of a classic gentlemanly feel (as opposed to a rockabilly greaser feel), and it is owned by decent folks (the owner of Layrite once called me a "faggot" via email because I am a cosmetologist, and not an elite barber, like himself). These water based pomades are far superior to wax or oil based pomades, because they rinse out when done. Hair that has been soaked in Murray's or Dax pomade will not respond to the amazing power of the blow dryer or flat iron, because it has been semi-permanently wetted by the petroleum based goo it's been encased in. These products are made to moisturize dry hair (notice there is a picture of Obama with an afro on the can of Murray's?). So with a heavy grease, the hair is stuck in neutral, and the only force you are then able to use to shape it is the hold of the wax itself, which is only substantial if you stick your head into the freezer for a few minutes every half hour.

I'm actually getting ready to style hair like mr. timberlake's, for a YouTube video. It should be done sometime next week.